L A W R E NC E
JOURNAL-WORLD ®
75 CENTS
3!452$!9 s $%#%-"%2 s
LJWorld.com
Father pleads no contest to abuse, endangerment By Shaun Hittle sdhittle@ljworld.com
A 52-year-old Northlake, Ill., man pleaded no contest Friday morning to five crimes stemming from a June 13 incident in which two of his children were found bound by their hands and
Lots of sun
High: 46
Children were found tied up in Walmart parking lot feet in a Lawrence Walmart parking lot. As part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, Adolfo Gomez pleaded no contest to two counts of child abuse — both felonies — and
three misdemeanor counts of child endangerment. The plea comes a week after Gomez’s wife, Deborah Gomez, 43, pleaded no contest to three counts of child endangerment.
Prosecutors and Adolfo’s attorney will recommend Adolfo be sentenced to 30 months in prison for the crimes at sentencing, scheduled for Feb. 8. Both Deborah and Adolfo
have been in custody since their arrests June 13. Douglas County prosecutors said the children have been placed in protective custody. As part of Deborah’s plea agreement, prosecutors will recommend she be sentenced Please see FATHER, page 2A Gomez
Today is year’s biggest shopping day
Low: 14
Today’s forecast, page 10A
INSIDE
Ohio State out for revenge against KU Revenge figures to be on the minds of Ohio State’s players and faithful entering today’s 3 p.m. clash against Kansas University after the Jayhawks twice beat the Buckeyes last year, including in the Final Four. Page 1B
Rec center bidding issues arise ——
Process may be opened Downtown stores build on momentum up to others Richard Gwin/Journal-World Photo
“
QUOTABLE
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.” — Wayne LaPierre, chief executive officer of the NRA, in a press conference Friday where he said more armed police officers, not gun laws, are what’s needed in every school to help stop shootings like last week’s massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. Page 6A
FOLLOW US Facebook.com/LJWorld Twitter.com/LJWorld
INDEX Business 7A Classified 1C-4C Comics 6C Deaths 2A Events listings 10A, 2B Horoscope 5C Movies 4A Opinion 9A Puzzles 5C Society 10B Sports 1B-8B Television 10A, 2B, 5C Vol.154/No.357 26 pages
DOWNTOWN LAWRENCE has been aglow at night with holiday lights and busy shoppers.
By Chad Lawhorn clawhorn@ljworld.com
We’re now entering the overtime period of the holiday shopping season. With Thanksgiving coming early this year, there are five full weekends — instead of the more traditional four — between
Black Friday and Christmas, but Lawrence retailers said there will still be plenty of last-minute shopping going on this weekend. “The Saturday before Christmas is traditionally the biggest retail shopping day of the year,” said Joe Flannery, president of Weaver’s Department Store, 901 Massachusetts St. “It is bigger
than Black Friday by quite a bit. I think Saturday should be an exceptionally busy day.” The prospect has downtown retailers smiling because they said holiday sales totals already have been pretty good. Flannery estimated this year’s holiday totals are
rschlichting@ljworld.com
When you think of gasoline price wars, you think about gas stations across the street from each other dueling for customers. But grocery store gas wars? That’s what’s going on in Lawrence these days, where Dillons and Hy-Vee are promoting their competing gasoline discount programs in an effort to build customer loyalty to their grocery business. The winners of the war Richard Gwin/Journal-World Photo are customers, who can save as much as $2 for every gallon of gas GARY VANHOOSIER, who works for purchased at the chains’ affiliated Robertson & Williams Transport, unloads gas stations, if they play their gas gasoline Thursday at the Hy-Vee gas sta- cards right. Dillons has had a Plus gasoline tion at 4000 W. Sixth St.
clawhorn@ljworld.com
card, which offers loyal customers points that can be exchanged for gas-price discounts, for years. But the competition heated up earlier this month when Hy-Vee introduced its own gas discount program. Game on: Dillons is now offering double points for every dollar a customer spends through March, and quadruple if he or she buys a gift card in the store, with 10 cents a gallon off for every 100 points a customer earns. HyVee is offering discounts based on purchases of certain products. For example, purchasing 10 Hy-Vee Greek yogurts will save the buyer 10 cents a gallon until
Plans for a $25 million cityowned recreation center in northwest Lawrence are shifting as questions emerge about the propriety of Lawrence businessman Thomas Fritzel building the project without going through the city’s standard bid process. City officials on Friday released details of discussions they are having with the Kansas University Endowment KANSAS Association UNIVERSITY about a process that would allow other construction companies to submit bids for the work. But the proposal stops short of following the city’s standard open bidding process. “We’re trying to be open to making a public-private partnership work here,” City Commissioner Mike Dever said of the new proposal. “This is an unusual opportunity for Lawrence, but we’re doing all of this in the spirit of openness.” The new proposal would require KU Endowment to invite bids from two other contractors — of the Endowment Association’s choosing — in
Please see GASOLINE, page 2A
Please see CENTER, page 2A
Please see STORES, page 2A
Grocery stores compete for customer loyalty with gasoline discounts By Rebekka Schlichting
By Chad Lawhorn
@UkfYbWY. gifdf]g]b[`m dcfhUV`Y" a"`UkfYbWYaUf_Yhd`UWY"Wca ]b mcif d\cbYÈg kYV VfckgYf []jYg mci ]bghUbh cb!h\Y![c UWWYgg hc YjYfm g]b[`Y @UkfYbWY Vig]bYgg ]bW`iX]b[ WcbhUWh ]bZc aUdg \cifg kYVg]hYg fYj]Ykg UbX acfY"
a"`UkfYbWYaUf_Yhd`UWY"Wca 6cc_aUf_ ]h hcXUm gc mci XcbÈh \UjY hc hmdY ]h bYlh h]aY" .